MISHAWAKA — Logan Rumble is much too humble to ever make the case that she should be Miss Softball at season’s end.
The selfless Penn High School senior star should be though.
Rumble, a Northwestern University commit, showcased her immense skill set Saturday, May 30 with three hits to pace No. 3 Penn past LaPorte, 12-0, in five innings in the title game of the Class 4A Penn Sectional.
The Kingsmen, who have now won 12 straight sectional championships, will take a 27-3 record into a one-game regional at Elkhart (22-7) Tuesday, June 2 at 6 p.m. Penn swept Elkhart in a two-game series during the regular season.
LaPorte, which upset Mishawaka 2-1 in the sectional semifinals, ends its season at 14-15.
Rumble led the way with a single, double and triple Saturday to go with a walk as Penn won the program’s 24th overall sectional crown. The host Kingsmen outscored their three sectional foes by a 40-1 count.
Senior starter Caitlyn Denny and junior reliever Trinity Culp combined to pitch a one-hitter for the Kingsmen. Denny allowed one hit and had six strikeouts and four walks in three innings. Culp added three strikeouts in the final two innings.
The prolific Penn offense has now outscored its opponents 265-71 on the season with double-digit run totals in 15 games. The Kingsmen piled up 15 hits on Saturday versus a pair of LaPorte lefty pitchers in senior Kieanna Simpson and freshman Addison Combs.
Rumble, the starting right fielder and No. 3 hitter in the lineup, entered play Saturday batting .494 with 11 homers, 13 doubles and 46 RBIs. She is the program’s all-time career leader in home runs with 30 and has set the single-season mark this year with 11.
She already has a pair of state titles on her resume too: one in softball as a freshman in 2023, and another with the girls flag football team this past fall. Rumble has helped Penn softball go 107-19-1 in her four seasons.
Penn took a 3-0 lead in the first as the trio of sophomore Easton Masten, senior Addison Bogunia and junior Kaiya Garringer each had an RBI, including a double by Garringer. The Kingsmen scored four more times in the second for a 7-0 lead. Rumble crushed a two-run triple to the rightfield fence, Masten followed with an RBI double and Garringer added an RBI single.
The Kingsmen put the game on ice with four runs in the fourth and one more in the fifth frame. Sophomore Addyson Zachary had a two-run triple and senior Phoebe Wood an RBI double in the fourth inning. Masten had an RBI single in the fifth inning.
Rumble is not only the best player in the Kingsmen dugout, but she is the consummate leader and teammate. She has a talent level that may be only matched by her work ethic.
“It’s just about relaxing and going out here and having fun,” Rumble said. “I have confidence in all of my teammates. We do a really good job of working together. I do work outside of practice a lot and my dad, Matt, is always there to help me. It’s not just the physical reps, but the mental reps too.”
Rumble flashed a modest smile when asked should she win Miss Softball. Ava Zachary, who just finished a terrific freshman season at Notre Dame, won the award last year for the Kingsmen. Ava Zachary was the previous Penn record holder in career homers with 20.
“No, I do not think about it,” Rumble responded about Miss Softball. “There are a lot of great players in the state. I just try to go out and play my game.”
Penn coach Beth Zachary, whose team has now won 10 straight games, has no doubt who should claim the state’s top softball accolade.
“Absolutely,” responded Zachary without a moment of hesitation when asked if Rumble should earn Miss Softball honors. “I truly believe that. I respect all of the talent across the state. No one works harder than Logan.
“She is a great teammate, role model and leader for us. The growth in her game from her freshman year to now is probably one of the best of any player that we have had in our program. It’s been a really cool thing to see.”
Zachary does not take any championship for granted. The Kingsmen graduated 11 seniors from last year’s 25-5 team that lost 4-2 to Crown Point in the semi-state title game.
“It’s a reflection of the culture, the work ethic of our kids and the legacy of all the players who have played here,” said an emotional Zachary. “We never, ever take this for granted. The tradition part of it is the most cool thing to me.
“We lost 11 seniors and we heard the noise before the season that Penn was going to be down this year. We knew that these kids would bring the work and all be ready for it. They all have been chomping at the bit for their chance and to be a part of this. That is what’s so neat to see as a coach.”
Rumble and Zachary know what it will take Tuesday night to beat Elkhart for a third time and win a 12th straight regional crown. The 11 in a row by the Kingsmen program is already a state record.
“All we have to do Tuesday night is trust each other, relax and have fun,” Rumble stated. “We need to cherish every moment. We need to bring the energy too. When we do that, good things happen.”
“We just need to focus on our game and keep doing things our way,” Zachary added. “We need to play our best. Getting our girls focused will not be hard because they are having fun right now.”
LaPorte loses seniors Simpson, Madison Squire, Kereghan Blind, Allison Wiencek, Audrey Kneifel, Danelle Amaya and Addison Hill. Five of those seniors started on Saturday versus Penn.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Logan Rumble stars as Penn softball cruises to another sectional title
Reporting by Scott Davidson, South Bend Tribune / South Bend Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
